


Leave Me

by jay11writer



Category: BLACKPINK (Band)
Genre: F/F, Fluff and Angst, Trainee
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-24
Updated: 2021-03-01
Packaged: 2021-03-14 12:21:34
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 8,256
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29667219
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jay11writer/pseuds/jay11writer
Summary: Memories of Pinkpunk flooded her watery vision as she cried herself to sleep. "Why do I always get left behind?" Unknown to her, a mysterious person in Thailand was busy packing her things and saying goodbye to her parents.
Relationships: Jennie Kim/Lalisa Manoban | Lisa, Kim Jisoo/Park Chaeyoung | Rosé
Comments: 6
Kudos: 45





	1. Evaluation

Jennie’s eyes shot wide open, her ears ringing from the sound of a beeping noise coming from the phone that she had placed on top of the bedside table the night before. Groaning, she slammed her hand on the table before turning to pick up her phone. _It’s already 8am?_ She quickly turned off her alarm, barely reading the date that was on the screen of her phone. March 31, 2011. She shut her eyes for the next minute or so before the realization had finally hit her. 

“Evaluation day,” she whispers to nobody in particular. “Evaluation day!” Panicking, she swiftly stood up, instantly regretting her decision as she felt a burning sensation throughout her body. She was sore from having been training for the past year. YG Entertainment certainly did not give their trainees an easy time at all. Nonetheless, Jennie forced herself to get to the bathroom.

 _I look like shit._ Jennie had barely slept last night. She could still remember the uneven heartbeats of her tiny heart as she stood in front of the judges last month, anxiously waiting for her grade. “Singing, B. Dancing, C. Group Performance, B. I honestly expected so much more from you, Jennie! I am so disappointed!” 

Just like that, Jennie’s fears came true. The twisting sensation she could feel in her stomach developed into something worse. It moved up to her lungs, which left her gasping for air. Her chest was pounding as if her heart was about to explode, but it didn’t. She looked at the table in front of her, the ceiling, the floor, anywhere but the judges. “I’m... sorry, Sajangnim,” was all that Jennie could say before turning around as she shut her eyes, unwilling to show the judges the tears that escaped from behind her eyelids.

Jennie opened her cat like eyes, only to find herself looking at the mirror, crying. Her group had lost a member that day, and she took full responsibility as the leader of the group. She shook her head as she wiped the tears away with her hand. “I won’t let it happen again this time.” 

Jennie was knocked out of her train of thought by a sudden pain on the sides of her stomach, which was followed by an almost evil laugh. “Yah!” Jennie was angry at first, frowning as she saw her roommate behind her. “I’m sorry unnie, are you ok?” Jinny stopped laughing, her face suddenly full of concern. 

Jennie smiled as if she was planning her revenge. “Yes, I’m fine Jinny. Now stop bothering me before you regret it,” Jennie said, her voice full of mischief. She roared quietly at Jinny, her hands raised as if clawing at her. “Awww aegyo!” Jennie turned around to face the mirror once more.

“Seriously unnie, are you ok?” She eyed Jinny through the mirror. She knew that she shouldn’t show weakness to the maknae of the group, especially because she was the leader. She took a long and deep breath, before putting on her patented gummy smile. “O-of course I am! Why wouldn’t I be. It’s evaluation day today, we have to do our best!” 

Jinny smiled at her as well, patting her on the shoulder before going back to her bed to eat a chocolate bar that she had inside her bag. Jennie rolled her eyes, before shutting the door of the bathroom in order to start preparing. _Does she really expect to improve if she keeps eating like that?_ She shakes her head again. Despite this, Jennie was confident. She was confident that her group could make up for the lackluster performance they had last time. She trusts them.

\- - - - - - - - - - - - -

Jennie’s trust was certainly in the right hands. Although none of the members performed extraordinarily well, they did show some improvements. Miyeon, who had performed despite suffering from an ankle sprain last time, was currently dancing at her usual level. 

As the last member of PinkPunk to perform, Jennie knew that she had to do incredibly well in order to seal the deal. She smiled at Miyeon, who murmured a quick good luck to her as she lined up with the rest of the girls. 

As Miyeon slowly left her field of vision, Jennie’s eyes landed on the judges in front of her. Her heart was pounding, the pressure of being the leader of the group hit her hard as she slowly made her way to the center of the stage. Yes, her group did improve, but was it enough? 

“Jennie,” Mr. Yang said, the agitation in his voice clear enough to make her gulp out of nervousness. After all, he was the CEO of YG Entertainment. Jennie couldn’t understand why he seemed pissed, despite the fact that she didn’t think her members did nearly as bad as before.

“Are you going to dance first, or sing first?” Jennie knew that she had to swallow any sign of fear and anxiety in her if she wanted to give a good performance. She quickly gave the judges a big smile, before cheerfully saying “Anyeong, Sajangnim, judges! I would like to begin by singing the song When Will My Life Begin by Mandy Moore. Thank you!”

Jennie suddenly felt relief as she saw Mr. Yang smile a tad bit. As soon as the music started playing, Jennie forgot about all of the negative thoughts she had beforehand. After all, Tangled has recently become her favorite Disney movie. And to top it all off, the song perfectly captured how she felt about being a trainee.

_7 AM, the usual morning lineup_

_Start on the chores and sweep 'til the floor's all clean_

_Polish and wax, do laundry, and mop and shine up_

_Sweep again, and by then it's like 7:15!_

Yes, Jennie hasn’t been a trainee for long. In fact, it has barely been a year since she returned from New Zealand in order to join YG Entertainment, in order to chase her dreams of becoming a K-POP idol. However, she couldn’t help but want to experience what it was like already, despite knowing that she was far from ready. At least, not yet.

_Now's when our lives begin!_

Sure enough, Jennie did in fact sound like a princess, the notes of the song easily flowed out of her vocal cords. Anyone listening would have known that the song meant a lot to her based on the raw emotions coming out of her tiny self. Jennie was sure that she got an A for that performance.

“Wonderful, now what would you like to dance to?” Just like that, the anxiety and fear that had been completely silent and forgotten about mere moments ago came pounding on her chest once again.

Jennie was by no means a bad dancer. However, the fact that she has never been able to get an A despite her best efforts has really killed her confidence. Her lips trembled as she forced herself to speak. “I-I would like to dance to the song I Don’t Care by 2NE1.” 

The dance moves in that song were not too difficult, so she decided to add her own twists to the choreography in order to spice things up a little more. She hoped it was enough.

\- - - - - - - - - - - - -

“Jennie unnie!” Miyeon had her hand stretched out towards Jennie. She took this as a cue to hold her hand, which she gladly did. She looked up at Miyeon curiously. “So, what was up with you when I fetched you from your room earlier?” Indeed, Miyeon almost always picked Jennie up from her room before starting their day, regardless of whether or not they had the same schedule.

“Why?” Jennie knew that she wasn’t exactly as energetic as she usually was earlier. “Well, you seemed lost,” Miyeon said silently as she rubbed her thumb in a circular motion, almost as if she was comforting Jennie. “How could I be lost, I was literally in my room!” They both laughed, but they both knew something was up.

30 minutes had passed since the end of their group performance. They were anxiously waiting for the announcements outside of the practice room. “They don’t usually take this long,” Miyeon spoke weakly, knowing the implications behind this. “I’m scared, Miyeon-unnie. I was so nervous that my voice was shaking the whole time.” Jinny’s voice was shaky, and it was clear that she was on the verge of crying.

“There’s more things to worry about,” Jennie said mischievously as she did to Jinny what Jinny did to her earlier in the morning. Jinny shrieked in surprise, before laughing as Jennie pulled her in for a hug. “We’ll get through this evaluation. You all improved from last time, I’m sure we will debut as PinkPunk. Hwaiting!” Everyone cheered half-heartedly, but the negative vibe was still present in the room. It was almost just like last time.

Jennie could think about nothing except what had happened last month. “You are the leader of PinkPunk, Jennie! You have so much potential, but you haven’t been improving whatsoever! Especially so in dancing!” It was a tough blow to Jennie’s confidence, because she had really spent the past months trying her best to get better. Maybe it just wasn’t enough.

“Earth to Jennie? They're calling us back in.” I turned my head to face the direction of the voice, Euna. “Sorry unnie, I was just thinking about w-w-what I would do to Jinny as payback later. A-anyways, let’s go!” She really tried her best to sound enthusiastic, confident. However, she couldn’t shake the feeling that her life would be changed in just a few minutes, and for the worse.

The group quickly found themselves in front of the judges once more. Kim Hee Jung, their dance instructor, was having what seemed like a very serious conversation with Mr. Yang, stopping only once they noticed that the group was already there. She gave them a thumbs up, but her face didn’t seem too happy whatsoever. It wasn’t long before Mr. Yang finally decided to speak.

“PinkPunk, it is time for me to give out your grades for today’s performances.” Jennie gulped as Mr. Yang looked directly at her. Unexpectedly however, he smiled at her, causing her to smile back nervously. “Congratulations Jennie, you have proven to me that you are capable of bouncing back from your poor performance last month.”

Jennie smiled, before saying a quick thank you. “Singing, A. Dancing, B. Group Performance, A,” Mr. Yang said somewhat cheerfully, smiling once again. Jennie couldn’t help but feel happy, it was her first time to get more than a single A. All of her doubts were washed away by the abundant amount of hope that came crashing in out of nowhere.

“Next, Miyeon, you did well too. Singing, A. Dancing, B. Group Performance, B. You are capable of becoming this group’s lead vocalist. Keep improving.” Jennie and Miyeon hugged each other tightly, unable to stay professional due to their joy. Jennie quickly wiped away the tears from her eyes, tears that she didn't know were flowing. Tears of joy.

“Sadly,” _Oh no._ “That’s about it for the good news, PinkPunk. As for the rest of you, none of you performed well.” 

Those tears of joy did not stay tears of joy. Jennie’s heart sank as she realized that despite her good performance, it wouldn’t matter if the group didn’t perform well. She crossed her fingers behind her back, hoping that nothing bad will happen. They did better than last time, I’m sure that will count for something.

Jennie could literally hear her own heart beating loudly. “You two, Jinny and Euna. You both got straight C’s in every criteria.” Jennie couldn’t breathe. “What have you two been doing this past month?” Mr. Yang was furious. 

Everything stopped for Jennie, and she quickly felt alone and terrified. It was exactly like last month. Defeat spreads all over her body, and she could almost feel the flames burning her alive. However, she knew that if anyone felt defeated, it would be those two. She quickly moved to comfort the two, holding Jinny’s hand firmly while looking at Euna with an affectionate smile on her face.

“As for you two, Hanna and Eunbi, you didn’t do too bad. Although it’s barely noticeable, you two showed improvement.” She heard the two sigh. At least they were able to feel a tiny bit of relief. They got decent grades, but it really wasn’t anything to be proud of. Just when they thought it was over, Mr. Yang spoke again.

“Jennie, Miyeon, Hanna, and Eunbi, continue to improve.” The 4 girls all nodded, but they knew that there was a reason why the other two were left out. It was terrifying. “You four have potential, especially you, Jennie.” Jennie smiled and said thank you, but she was far from happy. In fact, she was angry.

She was angry at her group, because they couldn’t meet Mr. Yang’s standards. Her blood boiled as she looked at Mr. Yang, because she knew that he was about to make a decision that she would hate. But above all, she was extremely angry at herself, because she was the leader of the group. 

“Jinny and Euna, your talents are no longer needed here,” Mr. Yang said with an anger that he only displayed when kicking members out. Jennie could no longer understand what she was feeling, the mix of sorrow, regret, anxiety, anger, and many more was too much for her to handle. “Prepare to pack your things, your parents will be informed about this ASAP, and will most likely be picking you two up by the end of today.” 

Jennie was on the verge of exploding. _Why is life so unfair?_ She clenched her fists, trying to contain the emotions that were forcing their way out. “Oh, and the four of you will be meeting your new member soon.” That was it. “How can you replace them just like that?” Jennie shakily said, her voice only audible to her fellow group mates. “What was that, Jennie?” 

Jennie exploded. “IT’S HASN’T EVEN BEEN A DAY! HOW CAN YOU DO THAT TO THEM!” Tears were flowing abundantly from her bloodshot eyes, no longer able to contain the endless amount of tears that have been accumulating since last night. “You know the rules, Jennie. I know it’s tough, but life is tough. That’s just how it is.” Mr. Yang lifted his hand, pointing towards the same door they came in from. 

“Thank you, Sajangnim. Judges. We appreciate everything that you have done for us.” Normally it would have been Jennie’s role to speak last, but Miyeon took over, knowing that Jennie wasn’t in the right state of mind right now. 

The moment they got out of the room, they all cried their hearts out.

\- - - - - - - - - - - - -

Several hours had already passed. The group gathered together for what could be the last time they would ever gather as a full group. Dinner went by, nobody dared speak a single word. The rest of the other groups didn’t bother them either, sensing the gloomy atmosphere surrounding their table.

Jennie was the first to speak. “I’m sorry.” She was struggling to form the right words, her voice shaky. “I’m sorry. I promised that this wouldn’t happen again, and yet here we are.” She was on the verge of crying, so was everyone else. Well, almost. She was surprised to see Jinny smiling at her, as if she wasn’t sad at all.

“Don’t worry unnie, I’ll still mess with you while you sleep whenever I get the chance to.” She said cheerfully, getting the rest of the members to smile, even if it was only a little bit. Jennie smiled, before frowning. “I can’t believe that they would send you home on the same day! And on top of that, they’re replacing you both already so soon! We’re people too you know!” She ranted, perhaps a little too loud as everyone within the vicinity looked at her.

This time, it was Euna’s turn to speak. “Hush, Jennie. We will be alright. And you four, you will be successful. Don’t worry about us.” Although the two of them seemed happy, everyone else wasn’t. They knew that deep inside, the two of them were hurting much more than the rest of them. 

Miyeon put her hand on the center of the table, and everyone did so as well. “PinkPunk,” Miyeon said energetically. “Hwaiting!” Everyone responded. The rest of their dinner wasn’t as gloomy as earlier, they knew that they had to make the most out of their last time together with the two. When they were about to finish, Euna tried to once again cheer them up by saying “I know you all are sad that we’re leaving, but have faith in your new member! I know she’ll be good, considering that she’s replacing my godly talent.” Everyone laughed, everyone except for Jennie.

 _I hate her already._ She hated the new member, despite not knowing a thing about her. She hated her, despite not having seen her once. In her eyes, she was nothing more than a replacement, and she hated that. She hated that her beloved members were being replaced by some random stranger. 

\- - - - - - - - - - - - -

On any other night, hugging her stuffed panda named Bamboo was enough to get her to sleep. However, she couldn’t sleep at all, not being used to being alone in her room. Saying goodbye to them was incredibly painful. She felt as if her heart was stabbed with a knife not once, not twice, but a million times. How could she ever accept the new member when she felt this way? _I hate her._

She turned to face Jinny’s bed, or at least what used to be her bed. _No, it’s still her bed, and it always will be._ Memories of the group flooded her watery vision as she cried herself to sleep. _Why do I always get left behind?_

Unknown to her, a mysterious person in Thailand was busy packing her things and saying goodbye to her parents.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello everyone! This is my first fanfic ever, so please tell me if there is any way I can improve my writing for you guys. Thank you and I hope you enjoy this fic!


	2. Hate

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Evaluation Day has changed Jennie.

Jennie woke up to the all too familiar sound of her alarm going off. She couldn’t sleep much last night, and her head was screaming in agony. Her eyes felt like they were burning, completely dry from having cried all night. The memories of everything that had occurred the day before suddenly came flooding in. Clearly, nothing was the same.

Sighing, she lazily got up on her feet, knowing that she still had to get through the day despite not really wanting to. She felt like a tiny insect, all alone in a large yet empty room. Having spent a majority of the past year having Jinny as her roommate, it just felt wrong not to have anyone to wake up, and occasionally mess around with. 

Yes, they didn’t have too many similarities, and they weren’t best friends either. But still, not having their usually cheerful maknae there made the room feel much quieter than usual. Jennie was sad, but she didn’t cry. She must have run out of tears last night.

She never wanted to feel the heartbreak of losing anyone again. Never again. Last night, Jennie recalled how many members she had lost over the past year. She would grow closer to them over time, only for them to disappear in a months time. It was emotionally draining.

Every step, every single movement she made as she “freshened” up in the bathroom felt heavy, her body seemingly working against her. 

_Fuck making friends. I’m done._

Taking a deep breath, Jennie opened the door to the outside, having to face life head on once again. Something is wrong. And no, Jennie wasn’t referring to the fact that Jinny wasn’t there with her. _Miyeon always picks me up. Always._

Jennie knew that the connections she had made already were too late to sever. Not to mention, Miyeon was her best friend. Aside from her and the other members, she couldn’t really afford to care about anybody else at this point.

She just wanted to be a child again, free of all problems that came with being a teenager. She missed playing games with her friends back in New Zealand. She missed essentially everything that was prior to her decision to become a trainee.

She was taking the children’s game “The Boat is Sinking” to the next level. If the boat is sinking, you might as well get rid of everyone you don’t need in order to stay alive with the people who matter. That’s exactly what Jennie’s mindset currently is right now.

_Back to reality, Jennie. You don’t have time to be sad right now._

Miyeon’s room was on the other side of the building, meaning that she would have to pass by the cafeteria. Jennie’s stomach growled as she stopped to look at the rest of the trainees having a light breakfast. She could literally smell the scent of fried rice, bread, and all sorts of other things that she just wanted to devour. 

However, she had her priorities. She shook her head, before turning to face the direction of Miyeon’s room. But right as she started walking, her vision temporarily went black as she ran straight into someone. 

“Yah, watch where your goi—“ Jennie was left speechless as she looked at what seemed to be a boy her age. He was wearing a black leather jacket and a pair of light wash jeans. He smiled at her, which confused her so much. _Who the hell is he? Why is a boy even here? What is going on?_ Before she got an opportunity to ask the mystery boy a question, he walked away. “Yah!” That was all Jennie could say before she felt a tap on her shoulder.

“What!” She turned around to see her dance instructor. “Seonsaengnim, what’s a boy doing here? I could have gotten injured!” Hee Jung smiled at her. “I’m sorry about that Jennie, she’s new here.” Jennie just nodded. However, she suddenly got confused by what her instructor had said. She?

Jennie also noticed a second man she had never seen before following the two of them. Nothing made sense, at all. She just stood there, trying to wrap her head around what was going on. However, the combined effects of the smell from the cafeteria and her stomach growling told her that food was more important. And in order to get food, she had to wake up that girl first.

She quickly made her way to Miyeon’s room. She was about to knock on the door when she heard sniffs from inside. She knew that she planned to push everybody away, but Miyeon was different. Miyeon was important to her. And with that, Jennie dropped her facade, taking off the armor that she had literally just put on moments ago.

She quickly entered the room to see Miyeon already dressed up, crying in bed. “Miyeon wh-what happened? Are you ok?” Miyeon didn’t bother to look at her as she covered herself with her blanket. Miyeon was usually energetic, so it was extremely unsettling for Jennie to see her like this. She carefully approached her, before putting a hand on her shoulder.

“I know it’s hard to train, especially after what happened yesterday,” Jennie stated carefully as she caressed her shoulder. “But we have to keep fighting Miyeon. Not just for us but for them! Fuck everyone else!” She could see Miyeon nodding, despite there being a blanket in the way. 

“Are you going to hide there forever?” Jennie giggled a little as she pulled the blanket off of her. Miyeon was quick to wrap her arms around Jennie’s neck, while Jennie wrapped her arms around her waist in return.

They stayed that way for a while. They were taking too long, so she glanced at the clock on the wall. Sighing, she knew that they had missed their opportunity to grab a quick bite before training. _It’s ok, it’s for a friend that matters._

“Miyeon, I’d love to stay here and cuddle with you all day, but we still have to practice ok? You can sleep in my room later if you want!” She hoped that Miyeon would stop crying soon, because she knew she would probably end up crying as well even if she didn’t think she had tears left to cry. Miyeon pulled away, her hands slithering down Jennie’s shoulders until they were simply holding each other by the arms.

“Thank you unnie. I’m fine now.” Miyeon smiled at her, before wiping off her tears. “You better be, I skipped breakfast to make you happy.” They both laughed as they got up. “You could use a diet anyways, unnie!” Jennie glared at Miyeon, before speaking.

“You better run Miyeon. 1, 2, 3!” Miyeon ran away quickly, laughing as she made her way to the practice room. Jennie sighed, before chasing after her half heartedly. At least she’s alright now.

\- - - - - - - - - - - - -

They were both surprised by what was going on in the practice room. On any other day, trainees would usually be stretching, practicing their dances, drinking water, chatting, etc. Basically, this was supposed to be a chill time. However, they were surprised to see every trainee lined up with their respective groups. Instinctively, they made their way to where PinkPunk was. As the leader, obviously Jennie knew that she was supposed to be in front.

One of their members, Hanna wasn’t there. _She must miss her a lot._ Hanna was pretty close to Jinny. They used to skip practice together all the time. Although she didn’t really care about Hanna that much, Jennie couldn’t help but feel bad for the girl, especially because she felt the same way.

Behind her was Kim Eunbi, who was now the eldest of the group due to the departure of Euna last night. Not knowing what was going on due to Miyeon’s breakdown earlier, she decided to ask her a question. “Yah, why are we lined up like this? Is something happening?” Eunbi was surprised by the lack of respect in Jennie’s choice of words and tone, which was unusual.

“Uhh, Seonsaengnim came in earlier than usual today. She told everyone to line up according to their groups.” Jennie just nodded, not really learning anything new from Eunbi’s answer. “We were actually supposed to fetch you at your room, but Seonsaengnim said that she had run into you earlier already.” She said.

Jennie was instantly reminded of the boy, wait no, the girl that looked like a boy who had ran into her a while ago. “You know, some random bitch who looked like a boy ran into me awhile ago? I wonder who she is?” Jennie was agitated, she wanted to teach her a lesson. She didn’t apologize to her, and she even smiled while Jennie was shouting at her.

“What’s up with you today, Jennie?” Eunbi’s face was scrunched up in a weird way, she didn’t understand how Jennie could change this much in a single day. Jennie was always respectful and caring and all of those good things, which was a stark contrast from what she was today. Jennie shrugged, not really caring all too much about what people thought of her. 

Jennie was brought back to reality by the sound of footsteps coming from the entrance of the practice room. The door opened then closed. Her eyes widened when she saw the same person she had bumped into earlier, along with their dance instructor. They made their way to the stage, the mysterious person standing right in the middle. 

Jennie didn’t really get an opportunity to pay attention to what the girl looked like earlier. She had short black hair and bangs, which was definitely uncommon in the industry. She was wearing a black tank top, which displayed her rather broad shoulders. Her top was tucked into what was now pink shorts, and Jennie was quick to notice how long the girls legs were. Although her attire was somewhat feminine now that she wasn’t wearing a leather jacket and jeans, her long black boots and her whole vibe spoke otherwise.

The person’s eyes travelled across the room, before finally making eye contact with her. She smiled at Jennie, which prompted her to frown in response. 

“Good morning everyone, I would like to introduce you all to someone today,” Hee Jung announced in a clear and precise voice. “She is from Thailand, and she placed number 1 out of four thousand contestants to be able to train here.” Jennie’s eyes widened, there has never been a foreigner in YG Entertainment before. However, she got mad as she remembered Jinny and Euna.

 _She’s the replacement huh. I hate her. She even smiled when she bumped into me. What an asshole._ Jennie rolled her eyes, which eventually landed back onto the person on the center of the stage. Hee Jung made eye contact with the girl, before nodding. Finally, she spoke.

“A-a-annyeongha-haseyo?” It was clear she was nervous. _She can’t even introduce herself properly, what is she even doing here?_ She looked around the room to see some people whispering to each other. The mystery girl gulped before continuing. “Jeoneun Lalisa Manoban-im-imnida. Che-Che-uhh, nice to meet you!” 

Jennie covered her mouth to hold back her laughter. Some of the other girls were doing the same as well. This Manoban girl literally gave up on speaking Korean, finishing her introduction in English. “SILENCE! She does not speak Korean YET. Be kind to her,” Hee Jung said angrily.

She said something inaudible to Manoban, before making eye contact with Jennie. She gulped in fear. “Jennie, come here,” she said, which surprised Jennie. Pointing to herself, she spoke. “Me?” 

“Yes, is there any other Jennie here?” Not wanting to add fuel to the already fuming instructor, she slowly made her way up the stage, standing beside the Thai girl. “I’m sorry about earlier, I didn’t know you spoke English so I didn’t know how to apologize,” the Thai girl spoke ever so softly.

“Shut up Manoban.” Jennie’s volume was barely a whisper, but her tone was harsh. The Thai girl flinched, before smiling at her. “Jennie, please translate whatever she has to say.” Jennie’s eyes widened, before smirking mischievously. She had a plan.

“I am sorry that I cannot speak Korean yet. Again, my name is Lalisa Manoban, and I am from Thailand, please be kind to me!” Lalisa smiled, before making eye contact with Jennie. “I am sorry that I suck at Korean, and I probably always will,” Jennie said in Korean, causing everyone to laugh. The Thai girl’s eyes were wide open, because she knew that what she said was not funny at all. 

Jennie’s smirk became more apparent on her face as she continued, “My name is Lalisa Manoban, and I come from Thailand. Don’t hurt me!” By now, a lot of people were laughing. Jennie looked at the Thai, not really having any expression on her face except a smirk. _Now everyone will make fun of you. That’s what you get for thinking you can replace them._

Jennie was surprised to see her smirk reflected back at her. Manoban then spoke in English. “Nice to meet you all! Ehee!” The Thai girl raised her hands to the side of her head as she said this.

“Aww aegyo!” The Thai’s actions caused the other trainees to react loudly. Jennie was shocked by the girls sudden display of cuteness. Her plan was to make a fool out of the girl, but it wouldn’t work at all of she would act cute and dumb herself! “Translate it, Jennie.” Jennie made eye contact with the Thai, before hissing at her. 

Jennie shyly repeated the same thing she did, and everyone laughed at her. “I hate you Manoban,” was all she could say in Korean before returning to her position. I hate her so much. “Lalisa 1, Jennie 0.” Jennie turned around to look at the girl behind Eunbi. She glared at Miyeon before saying “I’ll get her next time.” 

“Dance.” The instructor spoke loud enough for everyone to hear catching Jennie’s attention. It was clear that it was directed towards the Thai. Her eyes and mouth both widened at the sudden instruction. Jennie smirked once again, she thought that the girl probably wasn’t any good. 

_Hah, she’s so nervous._ Her large hands were trembling, which she hid behind her back. However, that nervousness was suddenly washed off her face as music started to play.

Jennie couldn’t understand the song whatsoever, the language was probably Thai. However, it didn’t really matter because she could understand every single emotion through the moves of the Thai girl. The smirk on her face was gone as she felt nothing but admiration for the girl.

The dance was nothing like what they were taught. It was almost boyish, which really complemented her looks. However, she couldn’t deny that she was much more skillful than any other trainee in the room, including herself. 

When the performance was finished, she was rewarded by a round of applause. “I hope you all understand why she got accepted here, even if she is a foreigner. Starting tomorrow, she will be training with you all. I hope you will all help her learn how to speak Korean.” And with that, the Thai girl walked off the stage with the dance instructor. “I will be back in 5 minutes, start doing your stretches,” she said as she walked towards the exit.

The Thai girl was supposed to follow her, but she turned around to walk in Jennie’s direction. “Thank you Jennie, you gave me confidence to be myself. You can call me Lalisa! Let’s be friends!” Lisa put on an extremely wide smile as she offered her hand. “Go away Manoban,” Jennie replied harshly, refusing to shake her hand. 

Manoban lowered her head, pulling her own hand back with the other. She rubbed her own hand with her thumb weirdly. “Lalisa!” Suddenly, Lisa started walking towards the exit. “That was mean. She seems nice unnie,” Miyeon said. Jennie shrugged, not really wanting to talk about it when she felt embarrassed about what happened.

\- - - - - - - - - - - - -

Finally, the day was over. Jennie quickly made her way to her room, ignoring everything else going on around her. She took her shoes off carelessly, not bothering to set it aside along with the other shoes. She plopped down on her bed, staring up into the ceiling. _How are you two?_

She really missed their presence today. Jinny was always the cheerful maknae who would mess around with them. Not having her there really killed the positive vibe of the group. On the other hand, Euna was the eldest, and her serious yet fun attitude was also something she missed having around. 

She didn’t understand why they had to lose three members in the span of two months. Sure, those three may not have been up to par with the other members. But, they certainly weren’t bad! They didn’t deserve to be kicked out just like that. And to top it all off, they were replaced by a Thai girl who couldn’t even speak Korean. 

_Calm down Jennie, you don’t even know if she will be the next PinkPunk member._ Although it was most likely going to be her, there was still a chance someone else could arrive. 

But still, she hated everything about the girl. She bumped into her without apologizing. She ruined her plan to make fun of her. And after all of that, she even tried to be friends with Jennie. 

“Agh!” Jennie pounded her fists into the bed. Suddenly, there was a knock on her door. “What!” Nobody answered. She was about to continue attacking the bed when another knock stopped her from doing so. She had enough. She stood up to open the door.

“Just open the—“ she was shocked to see a staff member on the other side of the door. “Are you ok, uhh, Ms. Kim?” She only nodded. “Sajangnim is calling for you.” Jennie nodded, before saying “I’ll be on my way. I will just change my—“ before she could finish her sentence, she was interrupted by the staff member. “Right now.” 

Jennie’s hands trembled, whatever she was called for was something serious. She let go of the door knob, walking swiftly to pick up her phone. She struggled to put her shoes on before leaving with the staff member.

Jennie’s mind was plagued by a dozen of thoughts. Was she going to be yelled at because of yesterday’s evaluation? Was she going to be kicked out like Jinny and Euna? Moved to a different group? Maybe her role as leader of the group would be given to someone else? 

She shook her head. _Think positive Jennie._ She decided that not everything was out to get her. Maybe she was going to be given a project? Was she going to get a reward for something? Maybe she was going to debut solo? 

Jennie smiled at the silliness of the thought, she knew it was unlikely. Her train of thought was suddenly interrupted by the voice of the person in front of her. “We’re here. Come in when you're ready.” The staff member left immediately afterwards, leaving Jennie all alone to face whatever she would end up facing upon opening the doors. 

She could hear the sounds of Mr. Yang’s broken English, and some other girl from within the room. She took a deep breath in before knocking on the door. “Come in, Jennie.”

Jennie was shocked to see Manoban sitting on one of the two chairs in front of Mr. Yang’s desk. “Jennie!” Manoban smiled at her as she stood up to greet her. Not wanting to seem mean in front of Mr. Yang, Jennie bowed her head and said “Annyeong, Lalisa shi.”

Manoban’s smile grew wider. _I guess I’m the first trainee she’s ever talked to._ Manoban once again offered her hand to Jennie, which she accepted despite not really wanting to.

“It seems you two know each other, that’s good,” Mr. Yang said in Korean. Jennie nodded, before smiling at the girl who she knew did not understand a single thing. “Tell Lalisa that you will be explaining everything I say to her later once you get to your room.” 

I nodded, but something was wrong. Why was Manoban going to her room? Jennie suddenly frowned as she realized what this meant. She flinched as she felt a hand on her shoulder. Turning to face the direction it came from, she saw Manoban looking curiously at her. “Later.”

“First of all, I am putting you in charge of helping her learn Korean. Although she does have a Korean teacher, it will only work out for her if she has a person who can help her communicate at all times.” Jennie nodded, but she was annoyed. She would have to accompany this Thai girl often, or at least until she knew how to speak Korean.

“In addition to that, Hee Jung will be announcing this tomorrow as well, nobody will be allowed to speak to her in any language other than Korean. Although, you, Jennie, can speak to her in English ONLY when teaching her how to speak in Korean. In any other scenario, English is prohibited.” 

Jennie smiled before nodding. _I guess I’ll have an excuse not to talk to her._ She would only speak to her whenever she needed to. 

“Second, obviously she is the next member of PinkPunk. Treat her nicely.” Jennie nodded once again, but deep inside her hatred burned even more. Knowing was one thing, but hearing it from Mr. Yang himself pretty much confirmed it. Jennie glared at Manoban, which she ignored. _This bitch really thinks she can replace them._ She shook the thought away as quickly as it came as she put on a faint smile.

“Third, teach her as much as you can. You have been here for a year, so you are much more experienced than her in terms of being a Korean trainee. Also, she cannot communicate nor understand the language, so anything her teachers will say won’t reach her.”

Jennie didn’t want to hear it anymore, so she stood up. “Of course Sajangnim! Trust me to take care of Mano— uhh, Lalisa shi.” Jennie bowed her head, before walking to leave the room. “Jennie, I wasn’t done.” 

Jennie gulped, knowing that she might have come across as rude for interrupting him. “Don’t worry it’s ok.” Jennie let out a sigh of relief. “Lastly, accompany her to your room. She is officially your new roommate. I hope you two can get along.” 

_Fuck._ Jennie thought that it couldn’t get any worse, but it just did. Her room was her only safe space, but having Manoban there would completely ruin that for her. She clenched her fists as she looked at the girl with a smile, making sure that Mr. Yang could not see her hands.

“That is all, Jennie,” Mr. Yang said with a smile, before turning to look at Lalisa. “Jennie please translate to her. Lalisa, I need you to learn Korean as fast as you can, so that we can make use of your potential. Good luck.” Jennie nodded, before repeating what Mr. Yang said in English. Manoban stood up with a smile, before saying thank you.

Jennie stood up, doing the same as Manoban. She then looked at the girl and said “Let’s go?” She cheerfully extended her hand to the girl, which she gladly accepted. Manoban dragged her towards where her luggage was. Then, they exited the door together.

As the door closed, Jennie abruptly pulled her hand away from Manoban’s. “What? Did I do something?” Manoban looked at her daringly. “We’re not friends, Manoban.” She walked away quickly, although she knew that the girl would follow her closely.

“Hey Jennie, I’m really sorry for earlier ok?” Jennie just hummed in annoyance, not wanting to talk to the girl at all. “Hey Jennie, what’s that place?” Jennie looked in the direction of the cafeteria, before ignoring her question. “Hey Jennie—“

“Would you please shut up!” Jennie had stopped and turned around to look at the Thai girl. Her blood was boiling. Jennie tried to calm down, knowing that she didn’t need to be that mean to her. The girl shut her eyes as if she was willing her tears away.

She opened her eyes and put on a weak smile, before saying “Sorry Jennie, I’ll shut up now.” She raised a hand, literally zipping her lips. Jennie nodded hesitantly, before once again facing the direction of her room. “Manoban,” Jennie genuinely wanted to apologize for being so harsh. _You’re supposed to hate her, Jennie._ “That’s the cafeteria.” Jennie pointed in the direction that Manoban was referring to earlier.

Although Jennie didn’t see it, the girl smiled widely, a single tear flowing from one of her eyes as she said “ok” cheerfully.

\- - - - - - - - - - - - -

Finally, they had arrived at Jennie’s room. Jennie entered, taking off her shoes before setting them to the side. Manoban was about to enter, but she was met by a glare. “Who said you could enter my room?” 

“But, I’m your roommate right?” Manoban smiled innocently, and Jennie hated her even more. _Who does she think she is?_ “This is mine and Jinny’s room. Go sleep outside for all I care.” Jennie felt her heart ache as she said those words. It was childish of her to make her sleep outside, but her anger got the better of her.

Manoban looked down, before saying “I’m sorry Jennie, goodnight. I’ll be here if you need me.” Jennie closed the door on Manoban, before lying down on the bed. _She’ll be out of here in no time._

She suddenly got a notification, leading her to check her phone. She smiled genuinely, for the first time since yesterday. After a long day of things going wrong, talking to her best friend was a breath of fresh air.

9:27

_Miyeon: I’m ready for our sleepover! Text me when you want me to come._

9:35

_Miyeon: Unnie? I heard you got called to Sajangnim’s office._

Jennie sighed. Manoban had to ruin everything, including this sleepover. She just wanted to enjoy another day with her full group. And when she couldn’t get that, she couldn’t even enjoy a simple sleepover with her best friend. 

9:45 

_Miyeon: Unnie? I will sleep soon ok?_

9:45

_Jennie: I’m really sorry Miyeon! Apparently the Manoban girl is my roommate. Let’s try it some other day ok?_

9:46

_Miyeon: Aww ok. Well, have fun with her! Goodnight unnie!_

Jennie scoffed at the thought of having fun with Manoban, before frowning again. Deciding to clear her head, she went to the bathroom to wash her face, as well as change into pajamas. She plopped down onto her bed. I’m sleepy. Oh, it’s already 10 pm. She was about to sleep when she heard someone sobbing outside.

She ignored it for a while, thinking that whoever it was would walk away soon. However, when she realized that the person wasn’t moving, she decided to check it out. She opened the door.

“Ouch!” She was shocked to see Manoban hit her head on the floor. She must have been leaning on the door. Jennie laughed at how stupid what happened was, before saying “Manoban! What are you do—“ Jennie was shocked to see her crying. The girl sat up to hug her knees, refusing to face Jennie. 

Silence.

“I’m sorry Jennie, I’ll leave.” The girl was about to stand when Jennie stepped outside to hold the girls luggage by the handle. Jennie felt guilty. As much as she hated her, nobody deserved to sleep outside a door.

“Get inside, you at least deserve a place to sleep.” Manoban looked up at her, smiling a little bit. “No it’s ok Jennie, I don’t want to piss you off.” _You won’t be pissing me off for long, you’ll end up giving up soon._

“Just get in.” Jennie said harshly, before realizing her tone. _It wouldn’t hurt to show a little bit of kindness right?_ “Pl-please?” Manoban chuckled, before sniffing as she tried to stop herself from crying. “You don’t have to be kind if you don’t want to, Jennie. Nobody is watching.” Manoban said softly as she rubbed Jennie’s shoulder. Jennie flinched, prompting Manoban to take her hand away while mouthing a quiet sorry.

She entered the room, taking her luggage from Jennie’s hand. Jennie watched silently as the girl scanned the entire room with her large doe eyes. _What is she doing?_ “Do you have a mattress here?” 

“Huh?” Jennie looked at Manoban weirdly. “Is there anything I can sleep on?” Her tone was quiet as she approached Jennie, who was now sitting on her bed. “There’s a bed right there,” Jennie said as she pointed towards Jinny’s bed. “Well, this is also uhh, her name was Jinny right? It’s also her room.” 

Jennie was overwhelmed by so many emotions due to what Manoban said. Her heart sunk as she remembered the events that transpired the day before. Clearly, Manoban at least knew what Jennie felt like. However, that wasn’t the only reason she didn’t want to be friends with her. She didn’t want to make useless connections that she would lose eventually anyways. _Everyone leaves me eventually._ So, she’ll just push them away.

The sound of her closet opening shocked her. “What are you doing?!” Jennie exclaimed as she stood up, crossing her arms. “Can I borrow a blanket? I’ll just sleep on the floor,” Manoban spoke shyly as she avoided Jennie’s gaze. “Ok,” Jennie looked at Manoban, who was setting the blanket on the floor. She grabbed a pillow and tossed it to her, saying “Here, take this too.”

Manoban smiled widely, before saying “Thank you.” They both lied down, Jennie was on the side of the bed that was further away from Manoban. None of them dared to speak for a while. 

“Hey Jennie,” Manoban said lazily, as if she was barely fighting off the desire to sleep. Jennie pondered on whether she should reply or not. Deciding that she wanted to make up for her mean behavior to some extent, she replied “Yes?” She moved her single pillow closer to Manoban, before laying down facing her direction.

They made eye contact. “Can you smile? I haven’t seen you smile properly yet.” Jennie was shocked. She wasn’t expecting that at all, so she shyly asked “Why?” “Just do it.” Manoban said, before smiling widely. 

For some reason, she actually felt like smiling. _Stop._ Jennie frowned at her, so Manoban widened her eyes while pushing her cheeks inwards, her lips getting squished.

Jennie giggled, before putting a hand on Manoban’s cheeks as she smiled. _Cute._ “See, you can do it!” Jennie realized what she had done, so she turned her body to face the other way. She buried her face into her stuffed toy. “You’re pretty when you smile. If only you smiled more.”

Jennie blushed. It wasn’t often for her to hear such a genuine compliment from somebody. Her heart skipped a beat, before saying “We’ll see, Manoban.” Jennie hesitated for a second, before saying “Lisa. Goodnight.” _I fucked up._

“Goodnight, Jennie.”

Despite all of the armor she had put on for today, all the effort she made to push this girl away, it didn’t work. What she thought was iron armor was simply gold, something that looks nice and expensive but is indeed really weak.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello everyone, pretty long chapter here. I hope you guys enjoy! Anyways, a few years ago there was a rumor spreading that Jennie was a bully, which is the reason why I decided to write her the way I did.


End file.
